


the uncertainty of war

by TaBasCo_sauce (heavyontheDIS)



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Oneshot, War, war is hard to stop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-15 06:07:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16057109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavyontheDIS/pseuds/TaBasCo_sauce
Summary: "There are centuries of history. Generations of wrongs and crimes. On both sides." - King HarrowOld wounds heal hard. Eons of hatred and distrust are not so easily washed away by a single gesture, no matter how significant.





	the uncertainty of war

**Author's Note:**

> "War is what happens when language fails." ~ Margaret Atwood
> 
> I like quoting stuff.

“Ezran, get back here.” Callum sighed, struggling to keep up with the endlessly energetic 10-year old. “We’re going to get discovered, then Viren will find us and kill us. Is that what you want?”

 

He was promptly ignored as his little brother yelled and threw snow at Zym, who responded with eager chirps of his own and tackled him in the tummy, knocking him back a few steps. He giggled and looked up at Callum with large, blue eyes. “But Callum, Zym wants to play!”

 

“And I don’t want to die.” Callum muttered, brushing wayward snow off his hair. Maybe Ez would have listened to him a couple weeks ago, when the threat was still fresh over their heads and Soren and Claudia and a multitude of guards and assassins were constantly on their tail, but they had been through a lot since then.

 

It was a probably a bad thing, Callum mused, that Ezran wasn’t too alarmed by the threat of death anymore. He was a 10-year old kid. He should have been worrying about when he was going to get his next jelly tart, or whether to make a nuisance of himself today, not about making a crazed cross-country race across the five kingdoms to get to Xadia to deliver a Dragon Prince back to its mother to stop a war.

 

Then a fresh shower of snow sprayed all over his face and he sputtered, spitting frozen water. “Ezran!”

 

HIs brother shrieked and ran away, Zym close on his heels. Bait crawled along in their crazed wake, grumpier than usual and glowing red.

 

“Let him play.” Rayla laughed, more than slightly amused by his bedraggled state. “He’s a kid, Callum. We’re all stressed. Let him have this.”

 

“….Fine.” He huffed, trudging over to where she was leaning against a rock. He yanked his scarf off and wrung it out, watching icy water drip out the fabric. They were still up North of Katolis, making a beeline for the volcano where the dragon lived, on the border. It was freezing and every which way they looked was ice and snow and gelid caves to sleep in.

 

Callum had no idea how Katolis could have any settlements this far North, or how they could be of any use to the Kingdom’s yearly tributes, but apparently they did. The village they came across that lived at the foot of the Cursed Caldera, had actually been an offshoot of a town further south, and still lay in the borders of Katolis. They were just lucky they had been too far away from the city for them to be recognisable to the citizens.

 

“We need to get moving soon.” Callum said, wrapping his scarf back around his neck. “How far are we from Xadia?”

 

“Oh, about a month or two’s travel.” Rayla said airily, sheathing her knives with a _click_. “Shouldn’t take too long.”

 

“Wha- a month!” Callum gasped. “Two months! That’s- that-“

 

Rayla smiled, amused. “It’s not that long. How long did you think it would take?"

 

“I- I don’t know.” He floundered. “Shorter than that? I don’t- stop laughing! I haven’t exactly travelled outside of Katolis a lot, okay?”

 

“Really? No diplomatic visits to the Pentarchy? Vacations in the Western Isles?” Rayla asked teasingly.

 

Callum shrugged. “I guess we haven’t had much time, lately. I’m- not worried about that. But two months? Will the war hold off for that long?”

 

Rayla sobered at the reminder of the looming war. “I don’t know. But even if we do get the Dragon Prince there in time- even then, Callum, you have to-” She hesitated, “you have to consider the possibility that we might not be able to stop the war.”

 

“What? Isn’t that the entire point of this trip? Two human princes delivering the egg back to Xadia, a gesture of peace. To stop the war?”

 

“Elves and humans have been at odds for centuries. When humans used dark magic to slay Thunder and shatter his egg, or well, supposedly shatter his egg,” she glanced at Azymondias playing in the snow, “that was the tipping point. Nothing more. “

 

“Generations of wrongs and crimes on both sides,” Callum said, remembering Harrow’s words.

 

“Exactly.” Rayla nodded. “You have to understand, some peoples - elves, humans, dragons - they don’t care about death or war. They just want revenge. A miraculously recovered Dragon Prince will not stop them.”

 

Both of them winced, thinking, for a second, about Runaan.

 

“Okay,” Callum said quietly. The light-hearted mood from before was gone, seemingly years away instead of just a few seconds. “I understand. But we still have to try.”

 

“Of course.” Rayla said grimly. She squinted up at the bright, winter sun. “We should have a few hours more daylight. We can make it through the Frigus Pass if we make haste.”

 

“Right.” Callum straightened and called after Ezran, hefting his bag on his shoulder.

 

She watched the elder chase the younger, the small, lightning-blue dragon hopping at their heels, their one hope for salvation from this impending war.

 

“Please.” She murmured, “It has to work.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Sorry for the bad writing? This is my first experience with fanfic, so pls be gentle. I am untested.
> 
> Constructive criticism is always appreciated.


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